I was provided a complimentary copy of this book by NetGalley. I was not compensated for this review and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. I was not required to write a positive review.
Kingdom Files: Who Was Jonah? by Matt Koceich Series: Kingdom Files
Published by BARBOUR PUBL Incorporated on August 1, 2018
Genres: Biography & Autobiography, Christian, General, Juvenile Nonfiction, Religious
Pages: 96
Source: NetGalley
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What do you know about Jonah?
Was he: . . .the reluctant prophet who said "no" to God? . . .the man tossed overboard during a colossal storm? . . .the one who changed his mind after being swallowed by a big fish? . . .all of the above?
Journey along with Jonah on the high seas, in the belly of a fish, in the very center of God's amazing power!
This biblically accurate story of Jonah, created just for the kids in your life, explores the life of the reluctant prophet who said "no" to God, while drawing 8- to 12-year-olds into a fascinating time and place as they learn about the man who was tossed overboard during a storm and experienced a change of heart after being swallowed by a giant fish. Featuring three key sections--a Fact File, an Action File, and a Power File--kids will enjoying learning about the life of Jonah while coming to understand that an ancient Bible story really does apply to their lives today. Dozens of captivating line art pieces add depth and interest to every chapter.
We are picking up where I left off with the new Kingdom Files series. I reviewed another installment ‘Who is Jesus‘ back in August. I’ll share a few of the same things, specific to the book layout but I’ll also share my thoughts on the exploration of the life of Jonah. I still feel like these would be an amazing addition to any library to truly help key people of the Bible come to life for young readers and less like ‘characters’ in a book. If that makes sense to anyone but me. Laid out in three distinct sections, each helps to bring the reader to truth from the Bible about each person. Fact File that gives relevant information about the person. Action File which gives Biblical truth about that person, including why they are important to our history and our faith. And Power File that provides additional Biblical stories, lessons and memory verses.
I really enjoyed the Fact File section on the life of Jonah. Staying true to the Biblical account there was so much more information provided. Obviously a lot of research went into truly helping the reader to understand why the things that happened were important to the culture of the time as well as a bigger picture than just ‘do what you are told’. I shared the broader idea that Jonah not only grew from his adventure, the people of Nineveh were still brought into rightness, but God was also able to take advantage of Jonah’s disobedience to speak to the people on the ship he tried to escape on as well. Not on is God the king of second chances but he also has the ability to take our foibles and use them to his (and our) benefit. The only thing that I was really distracted by was the repetition. And I mean ‘repetition’. However, as an adult reader who found it annoying I am also acutely aware that repetition is a key to helping children learn and retain information. Sooo, I guess I can’t complain too loudly.
I am still enamored with the idea and execution of the Power File. Additional resources, versus, and relevant commentary to accompany the exploration into the life that Jonah lived. Remember just a sentence or two before when I slightly whined about repetition. Well, this falls into that category. It is ten opportunities to dig deeper and truly helping a young reader retain and better understand the important things that we can take away from the life of Jonah. It is also set up in such a way to be used as a daily devotional opportunity. The younger a child is when they develop these habits the more likely they are to rely on and use them as adults. Daily devotionals are key to truly having a meaningful relationship with The Father.
About Matt Koceich
Matt Koceich is the author of the Imagine series, a brand new, epic Bible adventure for kids. He lives in Mansfield, Texas with his wife Cindi and their four children.
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